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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending felt a little awkward but overall I really appreciated this story. The themes of being/thinking differently, what we can and can’t control about ourselves and society, the beauty and danger of being different, of being free or caged and our complicity in that state, or lack thereof, was moving. It meant a lot to me.
I'm pretty sure my whole review is a spoiler, so I'm marking it as such.
I enjoyed this book overall, though there were some things that annoyed me.
- Kevin is an ASSHOLE. I hate the "it's ok if you have sex with someone of your own gender, but if you have sex with someone of another gender, that's cheating" attitude. Also, way to give bisexuals a bad name, Kevin.
- I HATED Hannah's constant "all good mothers give up their own wants/needs/desires in order to give everything to their children. That's an attitude I've seen so often since having children, and it's just not true, and it puts mothers who strive to have their own lives as well as raise happy, healthy children in a bad light. It seems like she kind of got past this by the end of the book, but, man, was that painful. Martyr!Mothers are the worst.
I appreciated how the characters dealt with Nicky. I don't think I could have been so good with him, but I know that's a flaw in myself.
I enjoyed reading about the process of figuring out who Isabella was.
I enjoyed the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was fantastic, and brought all of the characters to life through her voices. To be able to voice an elderly man, a middle-aged woman, and a 10-year-old boy, not to mention different accents, distinctly is a real skill.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
slow-paced
slow-paced
I really loved the idea of a gothic mystery and was excited to receive an E-ARC of Ashton Hall. However, I wasn't that thrilled with this one.
The created atmosphere while reading is great and I could easily visualize the setting. That I loved. What was hard for me is that this isn't a mystery at all. It's really more of an awakening journey for Hannah as she struggles with decisions on her marriage, on being a mother, and life in general.
This was pretty slow going and took a while for me to finish. It wasn't what I was expecting, which definitely had an affect on my reading experience overall. This one would be good for those who love more of a slow build women's fiction.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
The created atmosphere while reading is great and I could easily visualize the setting. That I loved. What was hard for me is that this isn't a mystery at all. It's really more of an awakening journey for Hannah as she struggles with decisions on her marriage, on being a mother, and life in general.
This was pretty slow going and took a while for me to finish. It wasn't what I was expecting, which definitely had an affect on my reading experience overall. This one would be good for those who love more of a slow build women's fiction.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
What I really liked about this book was the historical part of the story and the information about the process undertaken when historical finds are discovered. The story in current time was ok but wasn't that much of a draw for me. I went back and forth on the rating on this from a 2, 2.5 to 3. Lets just say there are so many books out there, this isn't one that I would go racing off to read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was pitched to me as Gothic, which it resoundingly is not. It's also not a mystery as much as a reflection on the fact that many histories, especially of women, can't be known. I felt for the characters, and I think they're emotionally well-developed and written in a really thorough and complex way. Finished because I wanted to know what happened, but in the end, I just didn't feel like it was enough for me.
At the beginning of Ashton Hall, Hannah Larson and her son Nicky travel to Cambridge in England to spend the summer with her beloved “honorary uncle,” Christopher, who is suffering from cancer. They find, however, that Christopher has decided to go to the US to try a new treatment but wishes them to remain at his “apartment” in the centuries-old manor house Ashton Hall.
After only a few days Nicky discovers a hidden room containing the skeleton of a woman, apparently a Catholic who lived during the Elizabethan era, when her faith would have put her at risk. As a result a team led by Matthew, a personable archeologist, comes to the Hall, and Hannah and Nicky are sucked into the mystery of who the woman was, why she had been shut away, and how she died. In addition, Hannah, who has just discovered that her husband has been unfaithful and is in the process of reevaluating her marriage, finds herself attracted to Matthew, who has a daughter who, like Nicky, is very bright but also faces significant challenges due to neurodivergence. In the course of learning to let go of Christopher and finding out more about Isabella Cresham, her life, and the constraints placed on her as both a woman and a Catholic in an earlier age, Hannah comes to better understand herself and find the courage to make the changes that need to be made in her own life.
While I enjoyed this book, I have to admit that it was not what I expected. The historical part, including the research, was lovingly detailed and Belfer obviously did some serious research of her own to achieve this, but the mystery, which I found more interesting,) was limited to the past and took a decided back seat to the domestic drama. This is a matter of taste, however.
I did have two minor quibbles. One character, whom I will not name, so as not to spoil the story, devolved into something of a cartoon character villain when I felt they could have been more believably portrayed. Secondly, it was implied that Catholics were persecuted during Elizabeth I’s reign solely due to religious bigotry. While that no doubt played a large part, the situation was more complicated. in 1570 the Pope officially excommunicated Elizabeth and released English Catholics from their allegiance to her, which, however loyal individuals may have been, made each of them a potential traitor. I don’t feel that it would have been difficult to add that key bit of context. I did, however, appreciate the afterword, explaining how the book came to be written, the bibliography, and of course the references to our mutual hometown of Buffalo, NY. 3.5 stars.
After only a few days Nicky discovers a hidden room containing the skeleton of a woman, apparently a Catholic who lived during the Elizabethan era, when her faith would have put her at risk. As a result a team led by Matthew, a personable archeologist, comes to the Hall, and Hannah and Nicky are sucked into the mystery of who the woman was, why she had been shut away, and how she died. In addition, Hannah, who has just discovered that her husband has been unfaithful and is in the process of reevaluating her marriage, finds herself attracted to Matthew, who has a daughter who, like Nicky, is very bright but also faces significant challenges due to neurodivergence. In the course of learning to let go of Christopher and finding out more about Isabella Cresham, her life, and the constraints placed on her as both a woman and a Catholic in an earlier age, Hannah comes to better understand herself and find the courage to make the changes that need to be made in her own life.
While I enjoyed this book, I have to admit that it was not what I expected. The historical part, including the research, was lovingly detailed and Belfer obviously did some serious research of her own to achieve this, but the mystery, which I found more interesting,) was limited to the past and took a decided back seat to the domestic drama. This is a matter of taste, however.
I did have two minor quibbles. One character, whom I will not name, so as not to spoil the story, devolved into something of a cartoon character villain when I felt they could have been more believably portrayed. Secondly, it was implied that Catholics were persecuted during Elizabeth I’s reign solely due to religious bigotry. While that no doubt played a large part, the situation was more complicated. in 1570 the Pope officially excommunicated Elizabeth and released English Catholics from their allegiance to her, which, however loyal individuals may have been, made each of them a potential traitor. I don’t feel that it would have been difficult to add that key bit of context. I did, however, appreciate the afterword, explaining how the book came to be written, the bibliography, and of course the references to our mutual hometown of Buffalo, NY. 3.5 stars.
An American woman raising a son with behavioral issues takes him to spend the summer at a friend’s home in England, where the boy discovers a skeleton walled up in a forgotten room.
I generally enjoy this type of story about old English manor houses hiding deep dark secrets from the past. This one is a bit different in that it doesn’t have an alternate timeline featuring the historical characters. Instead, researchers in the present including the American, Hannah, use a variety of sources to piece together a history of the house’s inhabitants. This method is realistic, but some readers may miss the immediacy of getting to know the dead woman, Isabella, from her own perspective.
Besides the historical mystery, much of the story is devoted to Hannah’s personal life, including a marital drama and trouble dealing with her son, Nicky. He has an undiagnosed issue that mostly manifests in fixation on certain topics, but occasionally results in violent outbursts. I found Hannah’s somewhat cavalier attitude about the safety of others in the face of increasingly dangerous episodes to be concerning. But the representation of neurodiversity was welcome, and was clearly important to the author based on her endnote.
I appreciated the parallels in Hannah and Isabella’s stories, showing how women have always had the role of caregiver in addition to their other responsibilities. I also enjoyed the part that libraries played and the humorous way of addressing differences between the British and Americans.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
I generally enjoy this type of story about old English manor houses hiding deep dark secrets from the past. This one is a bit different in that it doesn’t have an alternate timeline featuring the historical characters. Instead, researchers in the present including the American, Hannah, use a variety of sources to piece together a history of the house’s inhabitants. This method is realistic, but some readers may miss the immediacy of getting to know the dead woman, Isabella, from her own perspective.
Besides the historical mystery, much of the story is devoted to Hannah’s personal life, including a marital drama and trouble dealing with her son, Nicky. He has an undiagnosed issue that mostly manifests in fixation on certain topics, but occasionally results in violent outbursts. I found Hannah’s somewhat cavalier attitude about the safety of others in the face of increasingly dangerous episodes to be concerning. But the representation of neurodiversity was welcome, and was clearly important to the author based on her endnote.
I appreciated the parallels in Hannah and Isabella’s stories, showing how women have always had the role of caregiver in addition to their other responsibilities. I also enjoyed the part that libraries played and the humorous way of addressing differences between the British and Americans.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Grief
Minor: Rape